Patch panels are used in many industries for distribution and redirection of electrical signals. In the broadcast industry, coaxial lines in the range from a few centimeters to several decimeters in diameter carry radio frequency signals from amplifiers and transmitters to broadcast antennas atop towers that may stand up to half a kilometer or taller, as well as to non-broadcast loads. Such transmitters and coaxial lines may be highly reliable, but failure modes exist, and, as with virtually all electronic equipment, provisions may preferably be made for fault analysis requiring disassembly.
Typical patch panels for the broadcast industry usually consist of coaxial ports connected to typically large, rigid, coaxial jumpers, the ends of which are fastened to their respective ports with nuts and bolts to form flanged assemblies, with collapsible finger structures on the ports deflected inward by clamps onto raised ridges on the jumpers, with which ridges grooves in the finger structures interlock, or with other attachment devices achieving robust, low-loss joints. The jumpers are typically referred to in the industry as U-links.
The insertion and removal of fittings so restrained is time consuming, requires in many cases considerable physical effort, and can result in significant stress to the U-link and other patch panel components.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a patch panel apparatus and method that allows a single user to readily and reliably redirect high power radio frequency signals without exerting significant physical effort and without applying significant stress to the patch panel.